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A friend of mine stuffs cheap plastic bins with a bunch of straw (and maybe like a tea towel??) to make houses for feral cats during the outrageous cold. Also puts out a ton of high calorie food. That might be within your price range? Bales of hay or straw are cheap-ish.
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Feb 12, 2021 05:29
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I. M. Gei posted:hi how do I keep the 10 to 15 outdoor feral cats that hang out in my garage during bad weather from freezing to death during the 96+ straight hours of record-breaking below-freezing cold we’re about to get, with very little money (maybe $70 to $80 max, and preferably much lower)? Edit: how about a cat pic  This here is Pearl. I trapped her at a sushi restaurant downtown and tamed her. She was hard to let go, she became soooooooo sweet. I could pick her up and she would just go limp in my arms. I'm sure she's making someone very happy right now, though 
Comrade Cakewalk fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 14:31
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n'thing "get some straw." I've heard from farm-folks that blankets can be a no-go since they'll hold moisture and make the animals even colder, but straw really does the trick. If they're out of the wind on straw-beds they'll be alright. Also yeah just get one of those big bags of cheap food and leave a bucket of it out there for them.
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Feb 12, 2021 16:54
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Chaosfeather posted:I have no idea but since this seems to be an immediate problem here are my thoughts: cailleask posted:A friend of mine stuffs cheap plastic bins with a bunch of straw (and maybe like a tea towel??) to make houses for feral cats during the outrageous cold. Also puts out a ton of high calorie food. That might be within your price range? Bales of hay or straw are cheap-ish. Comrade Cakewalk posted:I have a bunch of plastic bins I cut entrance holes in and filled with straw. Like $5/bin and maybe $10 for a mini bale at tractor supply. It doesn't get quite as cold here, but the kitties use them when it gets into the 40s and below. mistaya posted:n'thing "get some straw." I've heard from farm-folks that blankets can be a no-go since they'll hold moisture and make the animals even colder, but straw really does the trick. If they're out of the wind on straw-beds they'll be alright. Also yeah just get one of those big bags of cheap food and leave a bucket of it out there for them. Thanks everyone for the tips! I went by Tractor Supply and picked up a little bale of bedding straw, and I got a big box (3’x3’x2’) to put a bunch of it in. I figured a box would be easier to cut a hole in than a plastic bin and maybe a little bit cheaper for the size, but I might’ve been wrong; if so then I can still run out and get a bin. I also picked up a second Vornado heater fan, since that was pretty much the only kind of heater (within my price range) that I could get at a store near me. It cost like $60 but I’m planning to return it once this cold weather is over (I got it at BB&B so I doubt they’ll care). We feed these cats at least twice a day and our garage door is likely gonna stay down throughout the cold. There’s one door and one window to the outside that we leave open for the cats to come and go through; the door is gonna stay most of the way shut. There’s little alcoves the cats can go into that are blocked from the wind, and we’re gonna lay some of the straw in at least one or two of those spots. I also still have the two heating pads if I need to add more heat anywhere. I just checked the temperature in the garage (with a Thermapen  ) and it’s about 52°. Or 43° if you believe the temperature of the cats’ water dish. The outside temperature is around 30°, give or take a couple degrees.Anne Whateley posted:Here is a list of 12 organizations in east Texas that work with feral cats, that can help you more than we can now. Most of them do TNR so you can get around to that, too. Oh yeah, about that. Our neighbor has been helping us out with the spay/neuter thing and several of the cats have been fixed now. I can’t give an exact number since some of them were taken care of by him and he hasn’t been keeping an exact count, but we think it’s around 8 or so. Still a way to go, but progress!
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Feb 13, 2021 00:19
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UPDATE: Cats appear to be doing fine so far. I took a bunch of pics of my “shelter” setup that I meant to post earlier; I’ll try to post those today. Of note, the garage seems to be staying above freezing even when the outside temp is below 32°. The water in the cats’ water dish has stayed liquid almost this whole time and has only iced up once or twice when the temperature got down to the low single-digits, and replaced that water with fresh hot water and turned on the heater fans when that happened. The coldest weather has now passed and things should start to warm up tomorrow or Friday. The snow and ice might take a few days to fully melt after that, but at least the air won’t be below freezing all day long anymore. I’ll return the second Vornado heater as soon as the roads are de-iced and safe to drive on.
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Feb 17, 2021 23:15
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I. M. Gei posted:UPDATE: Cats appear to be doing fine so far. I took a bunch of pics of my “shelter” setup that I meant to post earlier; I’ll try to post those today. Yay, glad the cats are ok. You're good people.
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Feb 18, 2021 04:31
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Oh i've got a post. I just adopted an 80 lb black lab about a month ago. Cooper was dumped in Arkansas, he's 2 and he was found at a Sonic, begging for hot dogs. He had microfilaria so he had to stay in arkansas for fast-kill treatment. 19 years and finally I have a dog again. I'm complete once more. http://imgur.com/a/G1tvnWG He's very good and loves bellyscratches and showing off at his obedience class.
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Feb 25, 2021 15:16
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Nice  The best dog I ever had was a black lab mutt my brother found in a parking lot. Very smart, but also loyal and obedient, so she wouldn't get into naughty trouble the way smart dogs often do. She could do a bunch of tricks, including agility stuff and catching frisbees. The very best dog.
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Feb 26, 2021 20:23
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wrong thread
Bippie Mishap fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Feb 27, 2021 |
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Feb 27, 2021 01:42
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I finally got rid of all my kittens last week. First they were too small, then ringworm, then URIs. The adoption shelter almost didn't take them because 1 had a little scab behind an ear they thought could be ringworm. After a bunch of photos and calls to the vet, they decided it wasn't and took the kittens. PHEW! Let's see how long it is before someone else brings me kittens in a shoebox.
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Mar 18, 2021 12:40
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Congratulations on a successful foster! Even if it sounds like it was involuntary.
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Mar 18, 2021 16:25
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Lol, is it ever really voluntary? Ben being a doof
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Mar 19, 2021 01:24
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I have a feisty, bouncy foster cat who came into foster care because his previous owner was beating him up. His bruises have gone down and, apart from a few old scars, the vet believes there's no long-term damage. There are still coronavirus restrictions where I live so the lack of adoption plans hasn't surprised me, but one of the staff happened to mention that they aren't sure what's going to happen with him. He's a 2 year old, perfectly healthy, gorgeous cat and he'd be snapped up within minutes as a perfect family pet. The only possible thing is that they're worried about his former owner finding him, but this can't be an insurmountable obstacle to adoption? The last I heard the staff were 'having a meeting with the manager' of the fostering agency, but if there was a decision then it wasn't communicated to me. Is this....normal? It seems very cloak-and-dagger. No photos with this post because I've been asked not to put any online.
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Mar 21, 2021 14:04
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Lady Demelza posted:I have a feisty, bouncy foster cat who came into foster care because his previous owner was beating him up. His bruises have gone down and, apart from a few old scars, the vet believes there's no long-term damage. I have never heard of that with a cat, but I recall some local humane society drama around a dog that had been seized from an abusive owner. They later tried to use a 3rd party go-between to adopt the dog as soon as it went up on the website. It probably would have worked if their chosen representative hadn't vented to the shelter staff about how the seizure was all a big misunderstanding and "Gary would never" and how she was going to make things right.
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Mar 21, 2021 23:26
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Lady Demelza posted:I have a feisty, bouncy foster cat who came into foster care because his previous owner was beating him up. His bruises have gone down and, apart from a few old scars, the vet believes there's no long-term damage.
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Mar 22, 2021 00:54
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A big flaming stink posted:Adopt the cat yourself 
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Mar 22, 2021 02:54
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wheatpuppy posted:I have never heard of that with a cat, but I recall some local humane society drama around a dog that had been seized from an abusive owner. They later tried to use a 3rd party go-between to adopt the dog as soon as it went up on the website. It probably would have worked if their chosen representative hadn't vented to the shelter staff about how the seizure was all a big misunderstanding and "Gary would never" and how she was going to make things right. People are such trash.
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Mar 22, 2021 03:27
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A big flaming stink posted:Adopt the cat yourself The fosterers always get first refusal, but I'm wondering if they've got something else in mind, because they seem to be implying that might not be an option. Reading all your replies, I'm convinced it's because of the abusive owner situation. Oh well, I'm sure they'll come up with a solution eventually.
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Mar 22, 2021 23:40
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There's a random little cat that's been popping up in my yard the past few days crying sadly all hours of the day and night. I figured it was someone's pet that got lost but got a good look at him today and he has a snipped left ear and had gotten in a fight, poor guy. I contacted the local feral cat people to see if they know him, but is there anything I can do for the guy in the meantime? Is he separated from his colony, or get kicked out, or what happened that he's wandering around yards crying all day? I originally figured he was indoor because he's all dirty and sad and approaches me (though not too close) when I call out to him. I'm not normally a big cat person but the little guy's pulling at my heartstrings, he seems to be having a really bad time.
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Apr 3, 2021 20:15
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fuzzy_logic posted:There's a random little cat that's been popping up in my yard the past few days crying sadly all hours of the day and night. I figured it was someone's pet that got lost but got a good look at him today and he has a snipped left ear and had gotten in a fight, poor guy. I contacted the local feral cat people to see if they know him, but is there anything I can do for the guy in the meantime? Is he separated from his colony, or get kicked out, or what happened that he's wandering around yards crying all day? I originally figured he was indoor because he's all dirty and sad and approaches me (though not too close) when I call out to him. I'm not normally a big cat person but the little guy's pulling at my heartstrings, he seems to be having a really bad time. Is it possible to make a temporary home for him in a bathroom to give him a chance to recover and get back up to fighting weight? Just because he has an ear notch doesn’t mean he’s feral—if you make friends with him, he might turn out to be a former pet who ran away or who was dumped.
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Apr 3, 2021 20:23
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fuzzy_logic posted:There's a random little cat that's been popping up in my yard the past few days crying sadly all hours of the day and night. I figured it was someone's pet that got lost but got a good look at him today and he has a snipped left ear and had gotten in a fight, poor guy. I contacted the local feral cat people to see if they know him, but is there anything I can do for the guy in the meantime? Is he separated from his colony, or get kicked out, or what happened that he's wandering around yards crying all day? I originally figured he was indoor because he's all dirty and sad and approaches me (though not too close) when I call out to him. I'm not normally a big cat person but the little guy's pulling at my heartstrings, he seems to be having a really bad time. He may have tamed and become a pet after getting neutered. I was able to tame and find homes for my entire feral colony except 2 cats after I got them all fixed. Getting rid of the hormones tends to calm them down enough that they're willing to interact with people afterward. Just because his ear is snipped doesn't mean he doesn't have a family. He might even be an indoor only kitty now
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Apr 4, 2021 03:58
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If you can get some cheap cat tins from the store you can probably put some wet food on a paper plate and tempt him over to check him a little better and see if those wounds are infected. Even if you can't keep him inside some food will go a long way, and you might be able to stroke him and check his injuries. It'll depend if he lets you but if he's wandering the neighborhood crying there's a strong possibility he's either starving or in pain.
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Apr 4, 2021 10:25
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I offered him some canned food and he licked at it and ignored it, so he's not starving at least and his face looks a lot better today. He gave me a chirp :3 He's been marking around the yard and the fighting in the driveway seems less frequent so maybe he's established a little territory here apart from the neighborhood cats. The landlord's been around a lot lately and would probably not appreciate my encouraging a stray to hang around so putting out a shelter or anything is going to wait but he seems ok to hang out for awhile. update: according to a neighbor, someone's indoor cat may be in heat, so there's multiple random male cats hanging around the neighborhood and howling trying to locate her, so that explains the screaming and the turning everyone's driveway into kittycat thunderdome anyway. I'm guessing these horny idiots aren't going to be able to make their own way home once this blows over? fuzzy_logic fucked around with this message at 03:56 on Apr 5, 2021 |
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Apr 4, 2021 21:09
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fuzzy_logic posted:update: according to a neighbor, someone's indoor cat may be in heat, so there's multiple random male cats hanging around the neighborhood and howling trying to locate her, so that explains the screaming and the turning everyone's driveway into kittycat thunderdome anyway. I'm guessing these horny idiots aren't going to be able to make their own way home once this blows over? This is exactly why I started TNR. Listening to all those cat fights was really stressing me out. Happily my county offers free spay/neuter surgery and a free rabies shot to any stray or feral cat you can catch. You might look around and see if your area does something similar. Your local shelter would know and would like be the source of the free or discount services. They'll likely even have traps to lend to you.
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Apr 6, 2021 05:34
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The highlights of my TNR project tonight included the woman who's house we were at showing us the bags with the ashes of cats she's going to be buried with and her going leaving food outside of the trap we had set for the cats because she felt so bad about us telling her not to feed them for 24 hours before we tried to get them.
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Apr 8, 2021 01:53
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mcmagic posted:The highlights of my TNR project tonight included the woman who's house we were at showing us the bags with the ashes of cats she's going to be buried with and her going leaving food outside of the trap we had set for the cats because she felt so bad about us telling her not to feed them for 24 hours before we tried to get them. Yeah. I can't deal with other people and their weird issues. I basically TNRd my neighborhood against the wishes of some neighbors. I have a few neighbors that also let their dogs run free. I know I neutered at least one neighbors pet. People suck. I'm sorry you're dealing with crazy. But good on you for doing TNR
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Apr 10, 2021 09:54
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Haji posted:Yeah. I can't deal with other people and their weird issues. I basically TNRd my neighborhood against the wishes of some neighbors. I have a few neighbors that also let their dogs run free. I know I neutered at least one neighbors pet. People suck. I'm sorry you're dealing with crazy. But good on you for doing TNR lol it's fine. It's a funny story and we prevented at least 3 preggo moms from having kittens outside.
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Apr 11, 2021 17:45
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mcmagic posted:lol it's fine. It's a funny story and we prevented at least 3 preggo moms from having kittens outside. Rock on! That's a huge win
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Apr 12, 2021 01:30
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welp I just found at least 2 more tiny kittens in my garage. They’re pretty well hidden behind and under a bunch of stuff, and there was an adult cat with them that ran off when I discovered them, but they were also crying pretty loud. Not sure whether or not that’s a sign that the adult cat isn’t feeding them, or if maybe it was just getting ready to start feeding when I showed up. Luckily I have a fresh unopened can of KMR ready and waiting for this exact occasion, but once again I need to ask this thread whether I should bring the kittens inside and feed them myself or let the adult cat that may or may not be the mother handle them. I’m also a bit worried I may have spooked the adult into abandoning them. What I do?
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Apr 18, 2021 02:29
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https://tnrtexas.com/east-texas
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Apr 18, 2021 02:48
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i like nice words
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I. M. Gei posted:welp At the least, leave the babies where they are and let her come back for them. She may move them. Maybe put some food and water out for her to entice her to stay there where it's safe. If she doesn't come back after a day, then take them.
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Apr 18, 2021 03:40
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It looks like they’ve moved, so I suppose that’s a good sign as long as they’re somewhere safe. I’ll have to keep my eyes and ears open over the next few days for abandoned kittens though.
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Apr 18, 2021 22:03
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I have a Disney Magic dog rescue story. So, on my way home from work last Friday, I see this dog wearing a pink harness running back and forth across a pretty busy street. I never stop for dogs and see loose dogs ALL THE TIME (South TX lolll), so I went past her. By the time I got to the light, I was possessed with the need to go get that dog. I turn around and drive back, don't see her, circle around a few times, finally spot the dog on a side street and stop. When I actually got close to her, I realized how big she was, probably 70lbs Rottweiler mix. Scared, but still being possessed by dogspirits, I called out to her and asked if she was nice. She wagged her tail and came over to me and licked my hands. I was hoping she'd have a tag on the harness, but no such luck. I got a rope out of my car and used it as a leash to get her into the back of my jeep.  Pictured: me wondering what the gently caress I'm doing Then I remembered I had Meowcatraz, a 10x10 kennel in my backyard I got for Ragoon's hospice care. Drove home, put her in Meowcatraz, and put pics of her up on Nextdoor and Facebook. Saturday morning a lady from a local rescue messaged me asking if I still had the dog and if I wanted to give them the dog. SWEET. Yes and yes, so she came over. When I lead the dog out to her car, she goes 'Oh... oh that's a big dog.' Yeah?? I put a pic of her up and said she's a Rottweiler idk what lady was expecting. She doesn't have room for a dog that big, but if I can hang onto her for a few weeks, they'll have room. I agree to keep the dog and she takes the dog to the vet to be checked out and scanned for a chip. The dog has a chip! Awesome right? NO! The owner refuses to take the dog back because "she gets out all the time." No poo poo, you stupid bastard, she's not spayed and is a very big and powerful dog. BUT, there's a previous owner on the chip! The first owner got Alice (the dog) when Alice was a puppy, but after Hurricane Harvey, they had to move and couldn't keep her at their new apartment. She gave Alice to the dipshit who should be fired into the sun and thought all was well. The first owner just bought a house with a fenced yard and her family was considering getting a dog. When she got the call from the vet, she immediately agreed to take Alice and rushed to my house after picking up some supplies at Petsmart. The instant she saw Alice, she started crying. Alice was happy to see her too (although Alice was happy to see me and the rescue lady and the vet... she's just a happy dog). She brought her 13 year old daughter along, but didn't tell her the dog they were getting was Alice. That kid was pretty dang happy to see her old dog. The cherry on top is the rescue org will get the dog spayed and vetted for them. How perfect can you get??  And an amusing aside, my cat Jim was NOT having this dog be at his house. I'm not sure if he thought I was in danger or if he was being territorial, but he was outside when I gave Alice to her new old family and he challenged that dog. Fur floofed, scary face on, hissing, stalking the dog. He wouldn't stop, so I had to grab him and throw him inside. Alice either didn't notice or didn't care about the pint-sized tiger out for blood. Comrade Cakewalk fucked around with this message at 16:28 on May 16, 2021 |
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May 16, 2021 16:25
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Best ending possible. You rock
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May 16, 2021 17:13
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I love that story.
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May 16, 2021 17:20
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That’s so sweet!
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May 16, 2021 21:00
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Hooray for Alice and her family!
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May 16, 2021 22:58
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What's the policy for sharing Go Fund Me pages?
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May 17, 2021 20:09
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Get a mod's permission first.
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May 17, 2021 20:14
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drrockso20 posted:What's the policy for sharing Go Fund Me pages? From the e/n rules post: quote:8. Please refrain from posting GoFundMe threads. If you think you know of a worthy cause, yourself included go the Keep Your Head Up thread in The Minority Rapport, a subforum of Debate & Discuss. C-SPAM, another D&D subforum, has a similar thread for helping goons out called GOONBUCKS. If you really, really, think your cause deserves a thread here, please PM or email a mod first. Check with the Pet Island mod but I've pointed a goon in the past year to these threads as their cat needed help. Godspeed. e: wait poo poo cspam isn't a subforum anymore
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May 17, 2021 20:28
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